I’ve tested and reviewed dozens of smartphones over the years, but my daily driver has remained a Samsung since the Galaxy S4 launched in 2013. Sure, I’ve run with a Pixel or OnePlus for months at a time, but I always end up returning to Samsung.
But I can’t stop feeling like something has changed over the last 3–4 years. Almost as if the last real substantial upgrade was the Galaxy S10+ or maybe the Galaxy S21 Ultra. And killing off the Note series in 2022 didn’t help, either. Samsung Galaxy phones are still excellent, and arguably the best Android available, but the push to evolve, improve, and innovate has faded into repeat releases with no purpose.
I miss the Samsung of old
The company that tried anything and everything
I remember being in New York for the Galaxy S5 launch, with its wild dimpled back and silly micro-B charging port. During that event, Samsung debuted the Galaxy Note Edge, its foray into curved displays that took over the mobile landscape for years.
Before those phones, before I bought the Galaxy S4, Galaxy S5, my beloved Galaxy Note 5, or the Galaxy S7 Edge and S8+ a year later, I owned every Nexus model released. But Samsung was doing things differently, and it was working. Every new phone was fun and exciting, with cutting-edge specs, neat or new designs, curved glass, and upgraded cameras—things to get excited about.
Mobile games were still lots of fun, phone cameras were starting to get excellent, and every year brought something new.
We got phones with dual front-facing cameras (Galaxy S10+) cut out of the display, better fingerprint scanners that eventually integrated into the screen, Dual Pixel cameras, and who remembers the variable aperture feature on the Galaxy S9?
The software was rapidly changing with each new release, and there was always a bunch of new stuff to try or tinker with. Samsung was rolling, and I bought almost every new generation. Not anymore.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is a wobbly but excellent upgrade
The privacy display is actual innovation, and it’ll cost ya.
Samsung dared to do and try anything. And now we have a Galaxy S26 series that looks just like the Galaxy S25, S24, S23, and even the S22. If anything, we’re going backwards, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra is pretty close to the Galaxy S21 Ultra with rounded corners.
And while I prefer the S26 Ultra to the past four generations, it still feels a bit flat.
Samsung Galaxy hardware updates are slowing down
More of the same
We all know the saying, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it,” and Samsung is clearly sticking to a winning formula. The flagship S-series is the best of the best, with the Ultra sitting at the top.
I just finished reviewing the Galaxy S26 Ultra, and it’s an absolutely fantastic phone, especially when viewed in isolation. It’s big, powerful, premium, packed with technology, has excellent cameras that are way too big, an S-Pen, and all the AI features you could ever ask for—and then some.
If you’re coming from something like a Galaxy S20, a Pixel 6 or Pixel 7 Pro, or any other slightly older phone, it’s a stunning upgrade you’ll love. But if you’re coming from any flagship Samsung Galaxy S model from the last 3–4 years, if not longer, it’s a skip. Well, unless you purely want a bigger screen.
Samsung’s new phone has a screen that goes dark when someone looks over your shoulder
Spy-level technology that James Bond would appreciate.
Aside from the neat new Privacy Display, which has its share of complaints, the Galaxy S26 Ultra might be the most incremental Galaxy update yet. It’s frustrating to see a brand that used to do anything, try everything, and rapidly add new hardware and software features, fade into one incremental update after another. When does that “not broke” saying or mantra start to fade, and when do we need some revisions?
Honestly, I still think the Galaxy S25+ is probably the best Samsung phone for most people. It’s not too big, not too small, has great cameras, the latest software, and is packed with almost everything you need. Just like I said in my review last year, it’s no Ultra, but it’s close enough.
Don’t get me wrong, Samsung isn’t the only one in this boat. Google’s Pixel line and even the iPhone, with its tick-tock release cycle, are slowing down.
I wouldn’t say innovation has completely stalled, but it’s certainly in limp mode and slowing down fast.
Everything is all about Galaxy AI
Hardware updates are becoming an afterthought
While brands like OnePlus, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Realme, and even Motorola are adopting exciting new technology like silicon-carbon batteries, Samsung hasn’t made the move. Phones from other brands have massive 7,000 mAh battery packs and 100W fast charging, while the Ultra has stuck with the exact same 5,000 mAh since the S20 Ultra in 2020.
And don’t even get me started on faster wireless charging or Qi2 charging with magnets built into the phone.
What is Samsung doing instead? Artificial intelligence. Everything is all about Galaxy AI, and hardware updates are a complete afterthought. If anything, whatever hardware changes we get are to take advantage of AI.
And sure, some of Samsung’s AI enhancements are genuinely useful, but most are a bit gimmicky or just fun add-ons to make things sound or look new and exciting. Even when some of the new AI stuff is great, that’s not moving the needle for most customers.
I don’t know where to turn
I still enjoy my Samsung Galaxy phone. And, obviously, use it every single day. It’s just not the same (or as exciting) as it was several years ago, and that’s a bummer. To make matters worse, they’re not the only ones. At this point, I don’t know where to turn.
The entire Google Pixel line is on a similar path. Apple’s update cycle isn’t all that great, either. And most other popular brands outside the U.S. either have other issues or are too much of a hassle for our carriers. And with all the uncertainty around OnePlus, the situation gets a little worse.
I’m not necessarily looking to jump ship to a new phone brand, but even if I were, I don’t know where I’d go.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
